Former Coronation Street star Chris Fountain says he was left “speaking like a toddler” after suffering a mini stroke.
The actor, known to millions as Weatherfield’s Tommy Duckworth, spent five days in a London hospital after waking up at home unable to speak properly.
During a terrifying ordeal in August, Chris, who is just 35, says he was left fearing “life as I knew it was over” after doctors discovered he’d had a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) - known as a mini stroke - after a blood clot lodged in his brain.
He’s now having to work with a speech therapist to retrain his brain, and while he’s got 90% of his speech back, he admits he still struggles to read aloud and often stumbles over his words.
Speaking for the first time since his mini stroke in August, Chris says he was gripped by “sheer panic” as he realised something was wrong.
“I woke up one morning and knew something wasn’t right,” he admits. “My mum called me and I just couldn’t get my words out.
“I started walking round my house looking at things and I could think what the word was, like television or fridge, but I couldn’t say it.
“I called 111 on my mum’s advice and they sent an ambulance for me, it was so scary.
“I felt stupid because I knew exactly what I wanted to say to the doctors, but I couldn’t get the words out, I was speaking like a toddler, I was really embarrassed.
“When the doctors confirmed I’d had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.
“Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and I’d lose the use of my arms or legs?
“I was really scared and just broke down in tears.”
Chris had been admitted to Homerton University Hospital but was quickly transferred to a specialist stroke unit at The Royal London Hospital in the capital where he spent days undergoing tests.
The Bradford-born star adds: “The doctors said they saw some damage to the lefthand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from.
“What’s scary is if I hadn’t have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I don’t know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died.
“That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.”
Medics got the clot under control and further tests showed the actor has a hole in his heart which caused the blood clot to travel to his brain and trigger the stroke.
He’ll now have to undergo a small surgery to patch up the hole and hopefully prevent any more clots travelling to his brain.
Chris’ showbiz pals, including former Weatherfield co-star Ryan Thomas, have rallied round him during his recovery.
But he admits the medical drama has been a wake up call and he’s determined to “live life to the max”.
“It has hit me how grave the situation could have been if I hadn’t have got the help I did, when I did,” he says.
“Going through something like this makes you realise just how fragile life is, it can really be snatched away from you at any moment.
“I feel like it’s the wake-up call I needed to live my life to the max and just not sweat the small stuff anymore.”
The stroke is not the first set back the actor has had to contend with.
Chris shot to fame in 2003 when he landed the role of Hollyoaks heartthrob Justin Burton in the C4 soap and went on to pick up a string of acting awards.
In 2010 he swapped Chester for Weatherfield when he joined the Corrie cobbles as Tommy, the grandson of Jack Duckworth played by street icon Bill Tarmey.
But in 2013 he saw his acting career derailed when he was sacked after being unmasked as a YouTube rapper who had used lyrics that implored violence against women.
Chris has never shied away from taking responsibility for his actions admitting he’s “ashamed and embarrassed” about the language he used during a “moment of madness as a young man”.
But he says that one mistake has had a monumental impact on his career.
He has had just one TV job since the scandal, playing Ryan in Kay Mellor’s ITV comedy Girlfriends in 2018.
And he believes he’s still feeling the impact nearly ten years later.
“I know what I did was wrong, and I’m mortified about it, there is not a day goes by that I don’t regret rapping those lyrics but the situation was not as it was reported and I’m not the person they said I was.” he says.
“I think we’ve all done stuff we’re not proud of, we’ve all made mistakes that we hopefully learn from, but it was 10 years ago and for whatever reason, I’m never allowed to forget what I did and move forward.
“It’s so disheartening that any time I try and make a positive step forward or an attempt to move on, it’s like someone’s grabbing me by the neck saying, ‘No, you can’t do that because remember that one mistake you made ten years ago? You’re not allowed’.”
Chris is not the first, and won’t be the last, celebrity to make a mistake that leaves them in the showbiz wilderness.
But while a host of famous faces including the likes of Ant McPartlin, Richard Bacon, Katie Price and Boy George have recovered from their public fall from grace, Chris still faces an uphill battle.
Surviving a stroke has made him more determined than ever to rebuild his TV career and get back on the box.
“Acting is all I have ever known,” he says. “I have worked professionally as an actor since I was 14 and until someone tells me my acting ability is not up to standard I won’t give up on it.
“After everything I’ve been through recently I’m determined not to let people’s opinions of me affect me anymore.
“I’ve been up for some really big roles recently and I’m getting down to the final stages.
“I don’t know if I’m not getting the roles because I’m just not right for the part or if the powers that be are worried that what happened will bring them bad press.
“I’ve thought about it non stop for years, but I’m going to stop worrying about what I can’t control any longer.
“I’m just going to keep pushing forward, go for jobs I love and hope that casting directors will see me for the man I am now, not the one mistake I made a decade ago.”
